Sorry to ask, which X10 plugin should I be using for Smarthome 1132CU USB interface?

[The Keeper]

So I'm finally switching over from HS2 to HS3 soon, and have retired most of my X10 devices to improve WAF, but I will still have a handful of X10 wired devices. I currently have a Smarthome 1132CU interface that works pretty well (it does need to be reset on rare occasion, but not often enough to replace, and it might even be the host computer's fault as much as the device)...

My question is, I've seen a couple references to "just use the HomeSeer X10 plugin", but there are two options listed in the updater, neither called simply "X10 plugin".

Should I be installing the CM11 plugin or the CM15 plugin with the Smarthome PowerLinc Controller?

Thanks,
Chris

[mfisher]

The HomeSeer "X10 plugin" is for RS-232 serial devices such as the CM11a & Ti103 hardware while the "CM15a plugin" is for the CM15a USB device. If you're running HS under Windows you can try the CM15a plugin, but under Linux the 1132CU is not supported - see this thread for details: https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/li...-not-supported

Under Windows there is a slight possibility that the CM15a plugin may work *IF* the ActiveHome USB driver recognizes and can communicate with the 1132CU device. I do not have a 1132CU device to work with so if it doesn't "just work" then it may be time to consider one of the following:
1) Get a CM11a, Ti103 or CM15a (ebay, etc.) to replace your 1132CU
2) Try running HS2 & HS3 together and use the HS2-HS3 connector plugin/script to control your X10 devices
3) Replace your X10 devices with the newer technology you're using for the rest of your system

Best regards,
-Mark-

[The Keeper]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't have a need for Linux (I'm all Windows and Mac OS, and HS3 will be running on an Intel i5/8GB/Win10Pro NUC), so I won't worry about the "not supported" part then.

I replaced as many of the X10 devices as possible, completely replacing all of the X10 wireless sensors and plug-in modules with Z-Wave, and bought a whole bunch of Z-Wave wall switches, but after about a grand invested in "Home Automation 3.0" (first started playing the HA game in the 90's, and I'm finally bringing it up to the 21st century), I had to cry uncle somewhere, so I still have a few X10 in the garage and basement. I'll replace them at some point in the near future, unless they all fail first.

It's been a very long time since I've looked at X10 interfaces other than the TW523's that my legacy JDS TimeCommanders use, is there one of those three that works any better than the other? Or are they all about the same? I will have some Digi serial ports, so USB vs RS232 isn't too much of a problem. I'd like to keep an X10 interface at the $50-75 pricepoint if I can help it.

Thanks,
Chris

[Pete]

The TW523 and CM11A/TI103 are different. The TW523 was originally made for X10 hardware developers and the CM11A was an end user product.

The TW523 in the Homeseer world works with an Ocelot (there is a 3rd party HS3 Ocelot plugin). I utilize these and Volp TW523 like devices for my Leviton Omni Pro 2 panel.

Wireless X10 here went from the old serial MR26 to the WGL W800 and it is still utilized today. Tested the CM11A to work fine with HS3. Still using Digi 8 Port Edgeports today with Linux.

I would just purchase a used CM11A on Ebay as Mark sugggested above. I have seen these for as little as $20.

The nice thing about the WGL W800 is the external antenna. Works great and has long range.

[The Keeper]

Oh, yeah, sorry, I have a few TW523's hanging off my embedded devices, and I have a few W800's, too, which I'll be retiring. I even made a couple of those screwball spider-shaped antennae using 12GA Romex so I could get some extra range out of them. I was just saying that I don't have any familiarity with the old X10 interfaces at this point because the last dedicated X10 interface I bought was a TW523, so I didn't know if the CM11A or CM15A worked any better than the other.

Ok, I'll go with a CM11A then, thanks. I'm reducing the number of serial devices that I'll be using, so I should have a couple free ports open on my 8-port Digi.

Thanks,
Chris

[The Keeper]

Funny story, I rummaged through my X10 bin, and amongst the few dozen other X10 modules and switches and such, I came across another TW523, two more 1132CU, and a CM11A with a cable. So, thanks for the suggestion, looks like I'm set.

Chris

[Pete]

Good News Chris.

I do not use an Ocelot any more and did test Homeseer 3 / Linux running the Ocelot / TW523 combo and W800. Today utilize the Volp dual phased TW523 emulator connected to my Leviton Omni Pro 2 panel. Leave CM11A's connected to my Homeseer 3 instance. I still do have a Volp X10 amplifier connected to one CM11A.

I use powerline X10 for the Christmas lighting and wireless X10 for tinkering mostly (well with old palm pads). I am at 100% these days.

I have stayed here in powerline mode having converted all of the wall switches now to UPB. The Omni Pro panel does also speak ZWave and Zigbee along with Homeseer 3.

New thing here is WiFi / MQTT using embedded Tasmota or Espurna firmware.

Mostly here using Ubuntu Linux on desktops / laptops dual booting to Windows 10 (but not really using it much these days).

[The Keeper]

Gotcha.

I bought a couple dozen Z-Wave wireless sensors so I could move away from X10 wireless, but things like the X10 motion floodlamps don't seem to have a Z-Wave equivalent that I could find. Maybe "HA3.1" in another year or so I'll be able to justify spending more to finish converting over to Z-Wave (with some hard-wired sensors that I can run alarm wire to my JDS TimeCommanders).

I've been using Unix since Ultrix/SunOS/Solaris/IRIX, but I never really found much use for it in the home; it's too much of a pain to keep it updated, IMO. More power to you if you can pull it off, though. I might dabble in some embedded Linux at some point, but for now it's just Win7/Win10/OSX.

Thanks,
Chris

[Pete]

Here only utilize Wireless X10 sensors. Only tinkering with ZWave and Zigbee wireless sensors but not using them. My OmniPro panel is wired for 48 zones and prefer to utilize my wired sensors.

First tinkering with wireless for automation now is using MQTT and modded WiFi devices.

Yeah here started to tinker with computers in the late 1970's ...always a hobby though. Played Star Trek on a Teletype machine in a water closet while I was taking a long physics class / lab.

Purchased a Kaypro CPM computer in the early 1980's to tinker with numbers (accounting stuff) and concurrently started to play with Commodore. Thinking I had the first Commodore Pet based BBS here near Chicago in the 80's connecting the PET to a stack of Ventel modems to a bunch of phone lines. (actually took the phones lines until ma bell disconnected me).

In the 2000's learned a bit of the old tinkering with MATIP enabled Cisco Routers and creating a guide for those unfamiliar with using ALC/MATIP...

[The Keeper]

Ah, yes, CP/M. My father built some Z80-based Heathkit systems back in the day. Even figured out how to interface to a Radio Shack computer to turn the CP/M system into a storage device that the TRS80 could access. Oh, yeah, I remember a Star Trek game, this would have been back in the mid 1980's at this point... Then worked my way through DEC systems, PDP-11's and VAXen... Ah, the good old days of very limited resources and not entirely reliable hardware, lol...

Anywho, so I guess I'm wondering, now that I've bought (but not yet deployed) the replacement Z-Wave sensors, did you find an advantage to sticking to X10 wireless? Or do you not really have that many wireless, and you're mostly wired with your 48-zone system?

The X10 sensors do seem to transmit pretty quickly, but the stupid buttons on the HawkEye and EagleEye are a real pain after swapping batteries. The security sensors are ok, and last a long time, but they're huge monster bricks in size and the security motion sensor in the first floor doesn't trigger until you've been in the bathroom for like 15-20 seconds for some reason. If you press the button on the back of it, the light will immediately turn on, but that's not really the point of a _motion_ sensor.

Thanks,
Chris

[Pete]

did you find an advantage to sticking to X10 wireless?

I use an old x10 palm pad to turn on my Christmas light all at once from the sidewalk facing my home to test.

I have used wireless hawkeyes to figure out placement of the wired pirs. X10 Door switches / windows switches for tinkering. IE: rain guage, rain sensor, etc

There is a trick to changing batteries and keeping the house code. Change one battery first then the second one and it will not lose the house code.

Batteries last forever on these. The Zigbee wireless sensor batteries (12VDC) only last about a year for me.

For a bit way long time ago played with occupancy (very low on the WAF) using ceiling mounted PIRs and wall mounted PIRs. Not doing this any more. Have been upgrading my interior PIRs to dual type sensors (microwave and PIR).

Outdoor motion use wired Optex, wired under the driveway sensors, wired vibration sensors (geophones) that worked OK.

Automobiles have RF tags and I use TTS for these.

IP HD motion outside really never worked well for me.

[The Keeper]

Hey, so, I swapped like 16 or 18 X10 outlets and switches for Z-Wave, and started setting up the new HS3 system (welcome to the 21st century, amirite?).

I connected the CM11A to one of the DB9's on the Digi Edgeport/8, added the interface to HS3, and HS3 indicated that the interface was successfully initialized. (And I know it was able to find it, because I had to reconfigure the ports on the Digi and HS3 couldn't find the CM11A until I rebooted.)

Except the CM11A doesn't seem to be doing anything. I don't see an indication that X10 commands being transmitted by controllers in the house are being received in the HS3 log, and when I added a test device to HS3 at A1, and then proceed to toggle it on and off, I didn't see any sign of activity in either the HS2, or the X10 repeater that would normally blink when repeating signals.

There doesn't seem to be any error message of any sort. Is it possibly a bad CM11A then? I've had it for probably 10 years, likely received as part of one of the lots of X10 stuff I bought on eBay, but I've never used it.

Is there any way to debug what's going on? Or should I Just buy another CM11A and see if that's what the problem is?


As an aside, thanks for the tip about keeping the house code on those Eagle/Hawk Eye units -- I had no idea. I always would just pull both batteries out and replace them, and proceed to fight with the temperamental buttons to try to reprogram them. I've bought quite a few Z-Wave motion and door sensors, but I haven't paired anything yet, and I hope I don't regret having bought them... I won't get rid of the X10 RF stuff just yet, just in case.


Oh, and which RFID tags do you use? I have some of the CheaperRFID units, which basically work ok, but I wouldn't mind something more robust that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars per vehicle.

Thanks,
Chris

[mfisher]

Regarding your CM11a not working, here are three things to try:
1)

Make sure you are creating X10 devices according to the instructions in this sticky:

https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/lighting-primary-technology-plug-ins/lighting-primary-technology-discussion/x10-homeseer/92984-how-to-create-a-new-x10-device-in-hs3-very-important

2) Turn on Developer Mode on the HS3 'Manage Plugins' page - this will provide additional CM11a plugin messages.
3) Install the current beta release as it provides much more debug and low level CM11a communication info: https://forums.homeseer.com/forum/li...-beta-releases

Note that turning Developer Mode on will affect all plugins, so if your log gets flooded with debug messages you will want to turn this off after things are working.

[The Keeper]

Thank you, that seems to have done it, as far as setting up an X10 device within HS3.

I see that HS3 is different from HS2 in that received X10 signals aren't emitted to the log, so between adding the device wrong and received X10 signals not in the log, it looked like the CM11A wasn't working, but it apparently is.

Thanks,
Chris

[Pete]

Oh, and which RFID tags do you use?

I have some of the CheaperRFID units, which basically work ok, but I wouldn't mind something more robust that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars per vehicle.

Here been using them for years and they work well enough for me. Had two receivers and switched to one with a larger antenna inverted in the attic. I use them for automation but have no dependences or direct connectivity to security.